Ben Affleck Ignored Blake Lively's Email Seeking Help For 'It Ends With Us' Drama, Court Docs Hint

Ben Affleck seemingly snubbed Blake Lively after she reached out to him via email for assistance and advice about her issues with the "It Ends With Us" edit.

At the time she allegedly sent the message, Lively was knee deep in mounting tensions with her co-star Justin Baldoni, who was also the film's director.

That strained relationship has since escalated into a civil sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Blake Lively, with the case expected to be heard in court later this year.

Despite once sharing the set on the 2010 film "The Town," Affleck seemingly saw no need to help Lively when she sought his assistance for her movie "It Ends With Us."

New court documents obtained by US Weekly reveal that the actress sent the "The Rip" star an email in May 2024, in which she detailed her concerns and hinted at her strained relationship with Baldoni.

However, it appears that Affleck never offered to help, as there was no response to the email sent by Lively filed in the unsealed documents.

It is possible that the actor reached out to Lively through another means of communication, but there are currently no reports confirming such contact.

Whatever the case may be, the email will likely play a role in court when the ongoing legal feud between Lively and Baldoni heads to trial later this year.

Although Affleck's name was redacted, clues like Lively's mention of his Dunkin' commercial made many quickly believe that the email was addressed to him.

In the email, she opened up about her experience while filming "It Ends With Us," describing it as "most upsetting."

"I've just come out the other side (well, almost) of the most upsetting experience I've ever had on a movie," Lively said.

"The making of doc of this film would be more interesting than the movie could ever be," she added sarcastically.

Lively also threw indirect shots at Baldoni when she discussed how she allegedly rewrote and restructured the "entire film" after dealing with Baldoni.

"I also ended up having to direct the movie via the chaotic clown 'director'/actor/producer/financier/studio head at the center. Yes, that's all the same person," the actress also shared. "Oh, and did I mention he and everyone he had on the movie is in a cult."

As for why Lively reached out to Affleck, she appeared to be seeking an edge over Baldoni, who was pushing for his own cut of the film to be selected as the final version.

Lively told Affleck that she was in a "bake off" with Baldoni over their respective edits and asked him to watch the film and share his thoughts.

In addition to requesting Affleck's input, Lively also encouraged him to have his then-wife, Jennifer Lopez, view the film and offer her opinion, while stressing that there was "zero pressure" to respond to her request.

"I'm such a fan of Jennifer's, I've told her as much every time I've met her, and it would be an honor to have her take," Lively said.

She continued, "Again, zero pressure. I just really want this to work after all I've put into it. This movie nearly killed me. And I can think of very few people who would be as prescriptive and insightful as I know you would be."

Baldoni and Lively's case will be tried on May 18, 2026, over a month after the initial date.

The postponement came due to presiding Judge Lewis Liman noting that he has other criminal trials scheduled for March and that they take precedence.

Ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides presented arguments in court on Thursday, Jan. 22, to make their case, per USA Today.

"It's not enough to show that sex or sexuality found its way into the workplace," Baldoni's lawyer, Jonathan Bach, said, after emphasizing the importance of context in the case. "Their burden is to show that it not only entered the workplace, but was used to discriminate against women."

Meanwhile, Lively's lawyer argued that Baldoni's behavior was "consistently inappropriate and crossing boundaries" and went on to cite a birth scene and a dance sequence as instances where the film director breached professionalism.

Lively recently increased her legal lineup ahead of her Justin Baldoni trial by hiring prominent attorney Sigrid McCawley to take the lead on public and media communications related to the case.

The attorney is popularly known for her work representing survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including the late Virginia Giuffre, and for helping bring national attention to Epstein's abuse network.

In a statement to People Magazine, McCawley said, "It is a privilege to get to work with Blake Lively's world-class legal team on a case that at its core is about a woman who was subjected to a hostile work environment and is being attacked for standing up to protect herself and other female co-workers."